When you’re dealing with eye pain and potentially an infection it can be difficult to see but is generally not hard to see why.  Red, swollen, itchy, or watery eyes are a tell tail sign that something is wrong.  Having a medical provider examine your situation will help determine what the cause is, and just more importantly, a plan to get it better.

The Most Common Types of Eye Infections:

• Corneal Ulcer: This occurs when a poke or directly injury occurs that results in a tear of the cornea, which creates a wound that gets infected with bacteria or viruses.
• Pink Eye.  Which is also called conjunctivitis, is a swelling or inflammation of the thin lining of the inside of the eyelid and the white part of an eyeball.  This can occur from both a virus (such as a common cold) or the spread of bacteria (staphylococcal and streptococcal).  Most often the result of Pink Eye is due to handling something that is already infected, and then rubbing your eyes.
• Stye. A painful lump rises along the edge of your eyelid.  It can be tied to an eyelash follicle that is infected with Staphylococcus bacteria.
• Uveitis.  Can be a serious infection to the middle layer of the white part of your eye.  The inflammation is generally due to significant trauma to the eye or from a tumor.

Symptoms of an Eye Infection

• Excessive watering or tearing
• A Gritty feeling that something is under your eyelid
• Increased sensitivity to light
• Itching or burning
• Discharge from the eye

Treatment for an Eye Infection

Depending on the cause, treatment can be very easy.  In most cases, if it is a bacterial infection things can be cleared via antibiotic eye drops.  If it is a virus, time is the best treatment plan.

Walk into any of our locations to have a quality health exam to determine the cause of your eye pain.